Busy Rangers coach dips into embarrassment of hockey riches

Steve Spott

There’s his daily roster as coach and general manager of the Kitchener Rangers and now — as skipper of Canada’s world junior hockey team — a trio of options on the table.

“We have three ghost rosters right now,” said Spott, who leaves town Dec. 9 to tend to national team duties in preparation for the 2013 world junior hockey championships in Ufa, Russia.

“The first list has everybody on it, what we feel is our best 23 players. The second has a combination of guys who could start in the NHL and guys we feel may be back. The third one has everybody in the NHL.”

The ongoing labour dispute between NHL owners and players is holding up the process. If the stalemate continues, Canada’s world junior lineup could be star studded for the tournament, which runs Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Think Edmonton Oilers’ centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a first overall draft pick from 2011, backed by Kitchener native — and Winnipeg Jets selection — Mark Scheifele and Boston Bruins’ property Dougie Hamilton on the blue-line, among others.

Team Canada could be boosted by Rangers’ defenceman Ryan Murphy and forward Matt Puempel. Both are expected to earn invites to the tryout camp Dec. 10. Three others are already en route to Russia — Radek Faksa (Czech Republic), Tobias Rieder (Germany) and goalie John Gibson (USA).

And, of course, Spott, whose latest stint is just another in a long list of posts he’s had with Hockey Canada. He coached the nation’s gold medal winning Under-18 side in 2011 and also snagged silver as an assistant with the 2010 junior squad that lost to the U.S. in overtime.

But being Canada’s top dog in Russia is another level.

“The most popular question I get is ‘why are you doing this?’ ” he said. “Every coach’s dream is to work with the national junior team. It’s an incredible honour.”

Rangers’ fans can rest assured that Spott won’t be shrugging off his day-to-day gig. The 44-year-old will be in constant contact with team brass throughout his month-long absence, a time that also coincides with the lead up to the Ontario Hockey League trade deadline. Assistant GM and associate coach Paul Fixter and assistant coaches Troy Smith and Mike McKenzie will run the show at the Aud while he’s gone.

“My line of communication with the (Rangers) office will be daily,” said Spott.

Don’t expect to see a different leader in Ufa. Spott says he isn’t changing his coaching style. That means Canada’s juniors will have to be responsible in their own zone, work hard and expand their roles.

“Every one of these kids is a premier player,” said Spott. “The challenge as a coaching staff is getting these players to accept less for the greater good.”

Hockey Canada is pulling out all the stops to make sure the focus remains on the ice. Team chefs are tagging along to prepare familiar food while the outfit has even hired sleep experts and purchased special tanning lamps to help players adjust to the climate in the southern Russian city, near the Kazakhstan border.

“We’re probably dealing with 24 hours of darkness,” said Spott. “Our bodies are motivated by light. We have a pretty detailed plan on how we will deal with that, with some artificial light during the day.”

The pressure is on Spott and the lads to deliver. After all, the nation hasn’t struck gold at the tournament since 2009.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he said. “I can’t wait to get going.”